Anyone that's reading my other current fic 'Changes' will be pleased to know that after about a million years of nothing, I have actually updated! So go and read it and let me know what you think!

Read and review as always!

Thanks to:

ScruffyWes

Christiana – lol you're welcome

Tiger Tiger2 – yeah he was bugging me too.

Prophetess of hearts

Miz

GoddessEris

Alexandra the half-wolf

Chamredfanatic3000

Becks89 – yay a per celare update! Now all you need to do is update TYE…

Chapter 29 – Happy Birthday Buffy

Buffy and Sirius remained in Sunnydale for New Year and then packed to head back to England. Apart from the potential apocalypse, they'd had a really good time in Sunnydale, Sirius had got to know Buffy's friends and they had got to know him in turn. Buffy had also hung out with Faith a lot and Buffy was sure that Faith was well on the way to recovery. Sirius had returned the wand to Willy who had gone as far to say that he was the most honest human he'd ever met.

It was a sad group that gathered to say goodbye to Sirius and Buffy at the bus station.
 "Take care of yourself honey," Joyce said hugging her daughter tightly. "We'll be writing to 'Joan Smith' and I'll send you birthday present if you can send an owl to pick it up."
 "Will do mom," Buffy promised. "And you be careful too. Remember to always carry that cross that Giles gave you."
 "Don't worry B," Faith said. "I'll look out for her." Faith was going to stay with Joyce indefinitely, so Faith could have some stability, a good home and so that Joyce would have some company and protection.

"Thanks. Take care of yourself too. And write to me when you can." Buffy said and impulsively hugged Faith. Faith let her for a moment before gently extracting herself. She grinned at Buffy. 

 "Sorry," Buffy apologized.
 "It's okay," Faith said, still smiling.
Buffy hugged Willow, Giles, Oz and Xander who all had words of encouragement and well wishing for her.
Just before the bus was about to leave, Buffy and Sirius boarded, found their seats and then waved at the Scoobies as the bus pulled away until they could no longer see them.

"Home sweet home," Buffy announced as she fell out of the fireplace at the Shrieking Shack a few hours later. They had had an uneventful journey, getting the bus into LA and then flooing back to Scotland. To Sirius' delight, they hadn't run into Angel, though Buffy wasn't entirely convinced that he hadn't been watching her, but she didn't mention that to Sirius.

In their absence, the Shrieking Shack had gained even more dust, resembling how it had looked when they had first arrived. Buffy dumped her backs on the floor and a cloud of dust flew up, making them both laugh.
 "It feels good to be just again huh?" Buffy murmured, putting her arms round Sirius' neck and kissing him. He smiled and kissed her back. They kissed for a long time, getting increasingly passionate. Sirius lifted Buffy up and placed her on the table and they continued kissing. After what was minutes but felt like hours to them both, Buffy broke away.
 "Um, I'd better go see… um the living room," she said hurriedly and practically ran from the room. Sirius followed her, a frown creasing his brow. Buffy sat on the sofa and she looked up as he entered the room.
 "Sorry," she said and gave him a tiny helpless smile.
 "Did I do something wrong?" he asked concernedly. "Because I really care about you Buffy and I don't want us to do anything you aren't completely comfortable with."
 "No it's not you it's me," Buffy said apologetically. "I'm in love with you Sirius, and that scares me a little. And I want us to get intimate but I'm scared of what could happen."
 "Because of Angel?" Sirius probed gently and Buffy nodded.

 "After we slept together, and he lost his soul it was like I'd never known him," she said, staring unseeingly at the fireplace. "This man that I'd loved he was trying to kill me, kill my friends. Telling me he didn't love me, that he never had, that I….I had a lot to learn about men." She looked down at her feet and Sirius growled.
 "It wasn't him," Buffy said, looking back up at him. "He'd lost his soul by then and he wanted to hurt me, for making him more human, but it just shattered my confidence. I just worry that it's gonna be like that with everyone, you know, you give them the goods and then they don't want you any more."

 "Buffy, I love you," Sirius said softly. "That means I'm gonna be here for you no matter what. When you're ready for us to be intimate then I'll be with you. I'm not gonna change like that, I want you to trust me."
 "I do trust you," Buffy said, eyes shiny with tears. "I just get scared." Sirius put his arms around her and held her close to him. She relaxed into his arms.

Buffy opened her eyes what seemed like a few moments later and realised she had fallen asleep. She was still wrapped in Sirius' arms and she gazed at his peaceful face as he slept. Carefully moving his sleeve, she looked at his watch which was in English time and saw that it was early, six o clock in the morning.
Careful not to wake him, Buffy disentangled herself from Sirius' arms and got up to stretch. She tiptoed into the kitchen and shivered, it was freezing in there. Buffy put on her shoes and coat and went out into the garden to collect some wood to make a fire. The air was even colder outside though the sky was blue and clean. Frost covered everything, white powder making the scene look sugar covered. Buffy wandered out of the garden, going round to the front of the house. She looked up at Hogwarts, also with a dusting of frost on it. The castle was lit up, as always and looked warm and inviting. Buffy shivered and decided to go back inside.

She collected some wood and made a fire in the kitchen. Gradually the kitchen, and then the house, filled with warmth again. Buffy stared into the fire thinking for a long time, until Sirius came into the kitchen.
 "Morning," he yawned, dropping a kiss on her head.
 "Morning," she replied automatically. "Thought I'd go into Hogsmeade today, get some food, a paper and send an owl to Sunnydale." Sirius nodded.
 "I'll stay here," she said, sitting down in a chair. "Got some things to do." Buffy raised an eyebrow.
 "Anything to do with a certain persons birthday?" she asked playfully. Sirius chuckled.
 "Maybe so, maybe not," he replied, equally as playfully. "You'll just have to wait and see." Buffy giggled and got up to go and get ready.

 
They settled back into their old routine after a few days, getting used to it just being the two of them again. And they both liked it that way, they fitted comfortably.

Just over a week after they came back, Buffy's birthday came around. The morning of her birthday she woke up, feeling like she was six years old again and genuinely thrilled that it was her birthday, despite the fact that her last few birthday's hadn't exactly been fun filled. She dressed quickly and ran downstairs where she found Sirius waiting for her in the kitchen.
A banner hung from the cobwebbed rafters, bearing the message 'Happy Birthday Buffy!' Buffy grinned so much that she thought her face would split and gave Sirius a big hug. On the table were a cake, and a card and a wrapped present, both from Sirius. Buffy tore open the card, which was a simple card that Buffy could tell he had bought in LA. Inside it said, 'To my Buffy, Happy Birthday, Love always, Sirius xxx.' Buffy kissed him and then picked up her present.

It was a small wrapped box which Buffy opened carefully. The box inside was velvet covered and Buffy lifted the lid gingerly. Inside was a silver charm bracelet, which looked like an antique. From the bracelet, there hung only one charm, a tiny silver dog.

 "Do you like it?" Sirius asked, anxiously scanning Buffy's face. She smiled.
 "It's beautiful," she said sincerely. "I love it. Help me put it on." Carefully, Sirius lifted the bracelet out of the box and fastened it gently around her slender wrist.

 "It's a Black family heirloom," he explained as Buffy looked at the little charm. "It took me a while to get hold of, but it worked out in the end."
 "The little dog looks like you," Buffy said thoughtfully.

 "It means that even when I'm not by your side," Sirius said. "You can look at it and think of me." Buffy smiled.
 "That was really corny, but really sweet," she said and kissed him.

Later that day, Buffy walked down to the post office, where she picked up a package for 'Joan Smith.' She opened it when she got back to the Shrieking Shack and discovered it was a package of presents and letters from her family and friends. The package contained cards from Giles, here mom and Xander, Willow, Oz and Anya collectively. There was also a gift of some perfume, a leather jacket and some English money from her mom, a book on English demons from Giles, some CD's, a woolly jumper and a silver photo frame containing a photo of all of them from Xander, Willow and Oz, and Faith had enclosed a present, a silver charm in the shape of a cross.
 "She asked what I was getting you and I told her," Sirius said with a shrug. Buffy attached the cross to her bracelet.
 "It's like me and you," Buffy said reflectively. "Me with the cross and you, the little doggy." Sirius kissed the tip of Buffy's nose.

 "Okay let's start the cake," Buffy declared. "I'm starving!"